Sermon Text:Exodus 20:1-3As we begin our study of the ten commandments we discuss why it is important to view the ten commandments in their historical context. Typically the evangelical church has read the commandments as universal, abstract moral principles designed to show us how far we fall short of God’s standards. This sermon takes a different approach. At Sinai the Israelites are called to be a new nation. The purpose of the ten commandments is to design a set of policies so that the new nation of Israel will be different from the oppressive, exploitive empires like Egypt where they had just been freed. The ten commandments act as a bill of right codifying the freedom gained from the Exodus. We will learn how the first commandment is about much more than just about correctly enumerating the number of god(s) there are. It is a revolutionary claim that challenges are other authority and thought system and enlivening us to bring freedom, prosperity, abundance, and flourishing into the world.

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